Apparatus for refilling fountain-pen ink cartridges



Sept. 14, 1965 T. KovAcs 3,205,919

APPARATUS FOR REFILLING FOUNTAIN-PEN INK CARTRIDGES Filed March 15, 1962 United States Patent 3 Claims. 61. 141-30 The present invention relates to an apparatus for filling and refilling fountain-pen ink cartridges.

Heretofore, after the ink cartridges of a fountain-pen, which contain about 0.06102 cu. in. of ink, have become empty, they are discarded. This makes the use of the cartridges more expensive and inspires a desire for a simple method of and apparatus for filling the cartridges.

While it is true that by compressing .an ink cartridge made of a resilient, flexible material the cartridge can be refilled in a more or less clever manner, it should be pointed out that after repeated compressing the cartridge will have cracks or fissures therein, whereas a cartridge made of a relatively hard material is not suitable to being compressed and thus it is not capable of being filled, either.

The object of the present invention is to insure that an ink cartridge of any type can be refilled in an easy and clean manner without any likelihood of becoming cracked.

According to the present invention, the inventive apparatus for refilling ink cartridges includes a resilient, flexible storage vessel and a nozzle adapted to fit tightly into the mouth of a cartridge to be filled, the nozzle being disposed on an exchangeable closure member of the storage vessel. Since said vessel may be provided with a closure member having any desired nozzle, the applied apparatus according to the invention can be utilized for filling cartridges having mouths of different sizes.

Further features of the invention may be readily understood by reference to the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-section of the apparatus according to the invention, taken in a plane of symmetry, and

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-section of the apparatus together with a cartridge in filling position, wherein the plane of symmetry is turned by 90 as compared with FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, there is there shown an ink storage vessel 1 made of a resilient, flexible material, a closure member 2 for the storage vessel 1; by way of example, said closure member 2 being embodied as a screw cap. A nozzle 3 is inserted into the bottom wall of said closure member, .a projecting portion 4 of said nozzle 3 being adapted to fit tightlypreferably by frictional adherence-into the mouth of an ink cartridge 5 to be filled. The nozzle just about penetrates the mouth of the cartridge; its bore diameter as well as its length are kept low, as illustrated. The projecting port-ion 4 of said nozzle is slightly conical so as to insure sufficient self-adherence of the cartridge 5 to the nozzle 3 while allowing easy removal of the cartridge therefrom.

The refilling of the cartridge is accomplished by placing the cartridge on the nozzle of the apparatus, whereupon the apparatus together with the cartridge is upset and the latter is filled by repeatedly pressing the storage vessel, as indicated by the lateral arrows appearing in FIG. 2. The filled cartridge is removed from the nozzle with the apparatus being in its upright position.

The same method may be employed tor filling original, factory-made ink cartridges.

What is claimed:

1. An apparatus for filling fountain-pen ink cartridges, comprising a storage vessel having a resilient, flexible body portion and an integral neck portion, a removable closure member tightly secured to said vessel, a nozzle in tight connection with said closure member and providing the sole communication with the inner space of said vessel, one end of said nozzle extending only to within said neck portion, the other end of said nozzle protruding a short distance externally of said closure member and fitting tightly into the sole opening of an ink cartridge to be filled, excluding thereby communication between the inner space of the cartridge and its exterior, the connection between said nozzle of the vessel and said opening of the cartridge allowing ink to be passed from said vessel to said cartridge and air to be passed in lieu thereof in the opposite direction, in consecutive separate operational phases.

2. An apparatus for filling fountain-pen ink cartridges, comprising a resilient, flex-ible storage vessel having a body portion and a neck portion, .a closure member secured to said neck portion, a nozzle on said closure member in tight connection therewith, one end of said nozzle extending only to within said neck portion, the other end of said nozzle protruding externally of said closure member and providing tight engagement with an ink cartridge to be filled, said other end of the nozzle being slightly conical in shape and including a frictionally adhering seat for insertion within .an opening of the cartridge, whereby the latter may be filled with ink from said storage vessel by inserting said other end of the nozzle into said cartridge opening when said Vessel is in an upright position, then inverting said vessel, and repeatedly pressing said sody portion to thereby force the ink into the cartridge until it is substantially filled.

3. An apparatus for filling fountain-pen ink cartridges, comprising .a storage vessel having an externally threaded neck portion and a resilient, flexible body portion integrally formed therewith, said neck portion including an inwardly directed flange defining an opening therein at the top of said neck portion, an internally threaded cap member fitted onto said neck portion and including a top portion defining an opening aligned with said opening in the flange, an elongated nozzle tightly fitting into said openings, one end of said nozzle extending a short distance exteriorly of said cap member and the other end extending to within said neck portion but above said body portion, a lip portion concentrically and integrally formed with said nozzle intermediate its ends and tightly fitted against the underside of said flange, said one end of the nozzle fitting into the opening of an ink cartridge, whereby the latter is filled with ink from said storage vessel by inserting said one nozzle end into the cartridge when said vessel is in an upright position and then inverting said vessel and repeatedly pressing said body portion to thereby force the ink into the cartridge.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,090,977 8/37 Hoifman 222-83 2,772,704 12/56 McConnell et a1. 141-319 XR 2,783,919 3/57 Ansell 222-215 XR 2,928,437 3/60 Plows 141-114 3,082,286 3/63- Schuster l41366 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 160,271 12/54 Australia. 570,564 9/58 Belgium.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR FILLING FOUNTAIN-PEN INK CARTRIDGES, COMPRISING A STORAGE VESSEL HAVING A RESILIENT, FLEXIBLE BODY PORTION AND AN INTEGRAL NECK PORTION, A REMOVABLE CLOSURE MEMBER TIGHTLY SECURED TO SAID VESSEL, A NOZZLE IN TIGHT CONNECTION WITH SADI CLOSURE MEMBER AND PROVIDING THE SOLE COMMUNICATION WITH THE INNER SPACE OF SAID VESSEL, ONE END OF SAID NOZZLE EXTENDING ONLY TO WITHIN SAID NECK PORTION, THE OTHER END OF SAID NOZZLE PROTRUDING A SHORT DISTANCE EXTERNALLY OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBER AND FITTING TIGHTLY IN TO THE SOLE OPENING OF AN INK CARTRIDGE TO BE FILLED, EXCLUDING THEREBY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE INNER SPACE OF THE CARTRIDGE AND ITS EXTERIOR, THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID NOZZLE OF THE VESSEL AND SAID OPENING OF THE CARTRIDGE ALLOWING INK TO BE PASSED FROM SAID VESSEL TO SAID CARTRIDE AND AIR TO BE PASSED IN LIEU THEREOF IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, IN CONSECUTIVE SEPARATE OPERATIONAL PHASES. 